Three Chechen natives obtain compensations for criminal prosecution

In Moscow, the court awarded compensations from half a million to a million roubles to Said-Magomed and Khusein Tsetiev and Khamid Razhapov, natives of Chechnya, who spent three years in custody in the case on an attempt on employees of the Ministry for Emergencies (MfE).

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that in December 2016, members of the presidential Human Rights Council (HRC) reported to the Russian President about the Chechen natives' case and proposed to create an independent institution to verify complaints about actions of investigators. When the charges were dropped from the natives of Chechnya, the chair of the HRC urged them to seek compensations.

The Tverskoi Court of Moscow awarded 700,000 and 500,000 roubles of compensations to brothers Said-Magomed and Khusein Tsetiev. Khamid Razhapov, another Chechen native, was awarded compensation in the amount of a million roubles. Meanwhile, all of them spent three years in SIZO (pre-trial prison) while the investigation was underway. The press service of the Tverskoi Court of Moscow did not explain the difference in the awarded compensations.

Brothers Khusein and Said-Magomed Tsetiev, as well as Khamid Razhapov were detained in September 2014. They were accused of beating MfE employees and an attempt to kill eight of their colleagues. The defence claimed that the alibis of all three defendants had been confirmed by records from video surveillance cameras. The charges against the natives of Chechnya were not withdrawn until December 2018.

Khamid Razhapov undermined his health at the SIZO, said his mother Patimat Razhapova. Khamid Razhapov himself added that he had lost a good job, and his family broke up. The Tsetiev brothers also complained about difficulties with finding a job because of the criminal prosecution.